Graduations scheduled for tomorrow (30/11) have been moved to Great St Mary’s Church after student protesters reoccupied Senate House overnight on Wednesday (27/11).

An email sent to graduands expecting to graduate tomorrow informed them that, “To minimise the risk of disruption, and to ensure the safety of all, the location of the Congregation tomorrow has moved”.

Graduands were told that “The University has not taken the decision to put these alternative arrangements in place lightly an appreciates that many graduands will have been looking forward to graduating in the Senate House”.

However, they continued: “Our primary concern is to offer you and your guests a fitting celebration of your achievements while mitigating any serious risk of disruption.”

Those expecting to graduate from their postgraduate studies tomorrow have been given a revised schedule for the day, also being given the option to defer their graduations to another time.

Graduands may “also decide to graduate in absence, or to graduate in absence and take part in a later celebrant ceremony at the Senate House.”

The email stated that “We are confident that the ceremony will be a memorable and enjoyable experience for you and your guests,” however, some students have expressed their disappointment at this decision.

One student said that they can “attest to general feelings of utter devastation and pain, especially among working class home and international students who’ve paid significant amounts of money to get here.”

“My working class American family spent every single extra dime they had to come over here for grad[uation], just to have it ripped away,” they explained. They stated that this is “Because the uni is choosing not to remove the protesters, or negotiate”.

Student members of the activist group, Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) reoccupied Senate House lawn in the early hours of Wednesday morning, stating that the “Cambridge encampment is back”.

This followed their occupation of Greenwich House last Friday (22/11) in an escalation the group claims is in response to the University “breaking” its agreements regarding ongoing arms investments.

The group stated that “The Cambridge Liberated Zone has expanded and will continue to do so,” demanding that the University “name and recognise the genocide in Gaza” and “commit to a public forum on divestment open to students, faculty, staff and community members”.

Graduation ceremonies were previously forced to relocate to Downing College after C4P occupied Senate House in May this year. C4P then dismantled its Senate House encampment after the University agreed to provide amnesty to representatives who wished to engage in conversation with the pro-vice-chancellors for a negotiation meeting.

At the time, C4P told Varsity: “We were never wishing to disturb graduation ceremonies […] We know the value of graduations but we felt like we were forced and had to escalate.”

The University of Cambridge was contacted for comment.